Bachmann Investigation Continues; Probe Will Last Through Sept.

The investigation of Michele Bachmann, along with her brief Republican presidential campaign, is continuing for at least the next two months, in a probe by the House Ethics Committee.

The investigation is ongoing until at least September, a panel said in a brief statement Friday. The panel said it would announce any further action to Bachman’s investigation by Sept. 11, according to the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent investigative body.

In addition to Bachman’s investigation, the committee announced similar extensions of OCE investigations for three other members of Congress: Reps. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., Pete Roskam, R-Ill., and John Tierney, D-Mass. The panel said it would announce further action on those cases, too, in September, The Associated Press reports

William McGinley, a lawyer for Bachmann, acknowledged the OCE investigation in March, saying it was tied to Bachmann’s presidential bid and that the tea party favorite was cooperating with the investigation. Bachmann has denied any wrongdoing but announced in May she would not seek re-election.

McGinley said the committee’s extension of Bachmann’s investigation was routine and expressed confidence that Bachmann will be vindicated.

“Today’s statement by the House Ethics Committee emphasizes that its customary 45-day extension does not ‘indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee,’” McGinley said Friday in a statement. “It does not speak to the merits of this matter, and any inference to the contrary is false.”

He added, “We are confident the committee will discover, upon proper review, that the highly politicized allegations made at the OCE level were baseless and without merit.”

The OCE is an independent House panel run by a board of directors who are outside Congress, although some of them are former lawmakers. The OCE’s investigative reports and recommendations for further investigation go to the member-run House Ethics Committee, the panel that decides whether rules were violated. The committee can then vote to continue investigations, launch its own formal investigations or dismiss cases outright.

OCE referred each of the investigations to the Ethics Committee in June, recommending full investigations. The House committee was required to take action on the cases or release the full reports of the OCE by Sunday. Instead, it will continue to look into all of the cases for another 45 days.

Because not all of the OCE reports were revealed Friday, it’s not clear what specifically some of the investigations of the lawmakers entail.

In a statement, Tierney said he believed the OCE investigation involving him was related to his personal financial disclosure reports.

“I welcome the opportunity to finally put this issue to rest after many years of my opponents attacking me,” Tierney said.

Tierney’s wife, Patrice Tierney, served one month in federal prison in 2011 after admitting she was “willfully blind” to the source of millions of dollars in income for her brothers, Robert and Daniel Eremian, who were running an illegal, offshore gambling operation.

Patrice Tierney managed a checking account for her brother Robert and helped him to prepare a false tax return, according to her plea agreement.

John Tierney has always denied any involvement in his wife’s activities and was re-elected last year. He also has defended his wife, saying she was wronged by her brothers and believed the income in the account she managed was from legal businesses and services.

Bishop also faced ethics complaints during his 2012 re-election campaign. He was criticized by his Republican opponent for helping a constituent — who later donated $5,000 to his campaign — to obtain a fireworks permit.

“As I have said many times, I welcome a fair-minded review of the facts because I have done nothing wrong,” Bishop said.

Roskam’s office said in a statement the OCE investigation into him involved a trip he took to Taiwan. Roskam spokeswoman Stephanie Kittredge said he informed the Ethics Committee about the trip and his planned activities on it before he left.

Roskam took the unusual step of publicizing his OCE report on Friday because he said he had done nothing wrong.

“The record reflects that Rep. Roskam fully complied with all laws, rules, and procedures related to privately sponsored travel,” Kittredge said. “The trip was vetted and approved by the House Ethics Committee, the body legally authorized to make determinations on congressional conduct.”

Bachmann’s White House bid ended quickly after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Iowa’s leadoff presidential caucuses but has caused lingering problems for her.

In January, a former Bachmann aide sent a letter to the Federal Election Commission alleging that Bachmann made improper payments to an Iowa state senator who served as her state chairman. A suit by a different aide alleging that someone in her team stole a private email list of home-school supporters for use in the campaign was dismissed last month.